In the dim alley, Cid lay on the ground, staring with dead-fish eyes at the woman sprawled weakly on top of him, her body covered in blood.
Just moments ago, he had finally managed to send Giada away after she dragged him around for no reason and said a whole bunch of incomprehensible nonsense.
He had been thinking the day's mission was over, leisurely making his way home, and then, while taking a shortcut through an alley, he got knocked over by this blood-soaked woman with long curry-colored hair.
Thinking about it carefully, the day had started with a green-haired woman who looked like trouble from the moment you saw her, personally appointing him as a major participant in some huge incident. Then, like the start of a classic light novel, he ran into a woman who seemed to be fleeing pursuers, on the verge of death, and clearly carrying a main-quest flag on her back...
No, seriously, wasn't today supposed to be Saturday, my day off? Do you people not take breaks when causing trouble?
"Guh..."
The impact on his chest snapped Cid back to his senses. The blood-covered woman had both hands braced against the ground, swaying as she tried to force herself upright, only for her weakened body to give out again.
To be fair, the scene was actually pretty suggestive. Her fall had apparently overstrained the bindings restraining the "slime" on this woman, who looked a little flat at first glance. There was a rip of fabric, and her "slime" suddenly swelled at an alarming speed. Her jacket couldn't withstand the pressure from within, and a large portion of that slime was exposed.
From Cid's angle, all he had to do was lower his head to see a whole expanse of... blood-red.
Anyone getting turned on in a situation like this had to have some seriously questionable tastes.
Especially since, after failing to get up, the woman had coughed up a huge mouthful of blood from the impact of falling and sprayed it all over his clothes.
I used every discount coupon I had and spent 100 yen on this shirt, and I've only been wearing it for three months. What a loss.
"Sorry... I'll make it up to you."
Apparently aware that she was in the wrong, Sayaka Kirasaka apologized and tried to stand again, only to collapse halfway up.
Seeing that, Cid had no choice but to steady her shoulder with one hand while the other hand glowed faintly green.
"Don't move for now. I'm in a good mood today, so I'll heal you."
Adjusting his position, Cid tried to help Sayaka Kirasaka over to the wall. At the same time, he pressed his other hand against her shoulder, pouring life force converted from magical power into her body to heal her injuries.
"N-No, not here..."
Sayaka Kirasaka raised a hand, clearly trying to stop him, but before she could finish, another round of footsteps sounded. A group of Therianthropes appeared, and they were wounded too.
"She's here. Move!"
The moment they spotted Cid and Sayaka Kirasaka, the Therianthropes charged like they'd been pumped full of adrenaline. Some raised weapons, others brandished claws, all intent on taking both their lives.
"Sorry. I dragged you into this."
Watching the Therianthropes rush toward them and feeling how utterly powerless her body was, unable to move at all, Sayaka Kirasaka's eyes filled with despair. With a bitter smile, she apologized to Cid and then closed her eyes.
"Shhk!" "Shhk!" "Shhk!"
Several seconds passed after she shut her eyes, yet death never came. Instead, all she heard was the wet sound of sharp objects piercing flesh.
Realizing something was wrong, Sayaka Kirasaka opened her eyes a sliver. The moment she caught a glimpse of the scene through that narrow gap, her eyes flew wide open and her pupils shrank.
With the faint sunlight spilling into the alley at his back, Cid's front was completely swallowed by shadow, making it impossible for Sayaka Kirasaka to see his face clearly.
But she could see the pitch-black tentacles extending from behind him. They looked like thorns, yet also like the legs of some arthropod, with a hard, bony texture.
Eight black tentacles had pierced straight through the Therianthropes' hearts, killing them instantly, then lifted their bodies high into the air.
"How noisy."
Cid's indifferent voice reached Sayaka Kirasaka's ears. Before she could even process what he meant, the next second...
The Therianthropes skewered on the tentacles suddenly exploded into clouds of blood mist and vanished without leaving a trace. No warning, no sound. The sheer horror of it made Sayaka Kirasaka instinctively shrink back.
"Th-Thank you..."
Feeling warmth slowly spreading through her body, Sayaka Kirasaka knew the person before her had saved her life. Forcing down the fear left by that grisly scene, she whispered her thanks.
"No need."
I'd wanted to try this classic Eminence in Shadow play for ages. The hunted heroine getting saved by some mysterious powerhouse. The cold line, the instant kill, the lofty attitude. It's too cool.
Cid wasn't particularly worried about exposing his background-character identity either. There were no cameras in the alley, and Itogami Island was huge. The odds were high that he would never meet this woman again. As for the tiny chance that they did run into each other again, well, that couldn't be helped. The situation had been too urgent for a disguise.
Ignoring Sayaka Kirasaka's gratitude, Cid inwardly admired his flawless performance as an Eminence in Shadow once again, then focused on healing her. Her injuries were even worse than they had looked.
She had multiple broken bones, and the sheer amount of blood she had lost had already pushed her to the line between life and death. Her body showed clear signs of having overdrawn its life force, and even the little vitality she had left was somehow still draining away. The woman in front of him was basically in her final flash of life. At most, she had one minute left.
Luckily, she probably hadn't realized just how severe her injuries were. Otherwise, there was no way she would have held on this long. The tiny amount of life force she had left was only a little better than the negative life-force state he'd been in when fighting the Three-headed Dragon God.
"It's you! Wait, didn't Yukina say you were pretty weak?"
Sayaka Kirasaka's sudden exclamation interrupted Cid's focus. He looked up to see her staring at him with wide-eyed surprise.
"Do we know each other?"
Seeing her reaction, Cid froze for a moment, narrowing his eyes. He didn't lower his healing hand, but extended the other, pointing at himself.
He knew his own quirk well: he paid little attention to people he didn't know, and in his Eminence in Shadow script, such characters rarely appeared. To keep his mind free for important calculations, he deleted most of their information. Now he wondered if the woman in front of him was one of those minor, background characters.
"…Yukina introduced us."
Sayaka Kirasaka's expression shifted slightly; her face twisted for a moment before relaxing. She didn't elaborate, only giving a concise reply.
Yukina? That third-rate spearwoman from next door?
Luckily, Cid successfully retrieved her information from memory. Yukina was a discarded pawn of some faction, competent enough with spears, and a supporting character in one of his Eminence in Shadow scenarios.
Staring at the woman's striking features—still elegant even beneath the bloodstains—Cid quickly connected her identity through his memory of Yukina.
"So it's you, Sayaka Himeragi."
For some reason, despite her frail body, the moment he spoke her name, her fist clenched. Cid estimated that if she threw a punch, it would have the strength of a normal adult woman.
Don't underestimate her—her remaining life force was weaker than that of a child. Cid was confident he could have defeated Sayaka Kirasaka in this state even as a one-year-old.
"Tsk. Mixing up Yukina's name—you really are a scumbag. I don't understand why she ever liked you.
Anyway, remember this: my name is Kirasaka… Sayaka. Himeragi is Yukina's surname. If Yukina ever finds out, she'd be heartbroken."
Realizing someone she knew had saved her, Sayaka Kirasaka relaxed slightly. After all, if Yukina trusted someone, they couldn't be that bad—though the thought of her prized cabbage being trampled by a pig still irked her.
Her displeasure was obvious, written plainly across her face.
"Oh, I'll remember that. So, what now?"
Cid responded indifferently and continued treating her injuries, keeping his head down. He didn't care about her reaction, focusing instead on which backup plan would work best.
"Phone."
"?"
"Lend me your phone. I need to make a call."
Hearing the soft, almost mosquito-like voice, and seeing Sayaka Kirasaka's slight embarrassment, Cid paused for a moment before handing her his phone.
"Thanks."
She dialed a number and lowered her voice once the call connected. She didn't want to drag Cid into this.
"Master…"
Discreetly refraining from eavesdropping, Cid used his magical power to destroy the black spot that had been draining her life force. Once he confirmed she had regained enough vitality to reach the hospital on her own, he stood quietly, planning to finish one last task after her call.
"…Master, are you kidding me? You're at the Lion King Organization all day saying you're too busy, but Yukina is your disciple!
I only know she'll be safe for a while, but what if the Beastmen try to harm her? Hello! Hello! Hello…"
Under Cid's gaze, Sayaka Kirasaka seemed to be arguing with the person on the other end of the line. So agitated, she raised her voice despite her weak state. Even after the call ended abruptly, she kept trying to dial back.
"I don't know what's going on with you, but I'll still wish you the best."
Cid approached the suddenly disheartened Sayaka Kirasaka, patting her shoulder in encouragement. He retrieved his phone and put it in his pocket. As he turned to leave, he felt a tug on his shirt hem.
He stopped, raised an eyebrow, and turned to meet Sayaka Kirasaka's gaze—her eyes now filled with determination and resolve.
"What is it? Is there something else?"
"Please… help me."
Her tone was humble and pleading, hard to imagine from the Sayaka Kirasaka who had been cold and unfriendly during their previous encounters.
In truth, she didn't want to beg. If possible, she wouldn't involve anyone else, dragging an ordinary person into this was practically a death sentence.
But now, her spiritual energy was completely depleted, and the Lion King Organization, for some unknown reason, refused to send anyone to help. Even after the Fourth Primogenitor had been captured, they remained inexplicably calm.
She had ruled out going to the Island Guard. Not only were they in a different department, but even if she went, what could she realistically do? The Island Guard was notoriously useless and slow. Claiming that terrorists had kidnapped her friend Yukina Himeragi just to get their attention would probably result in them kicking her out.
After weighing her options, Sayaka Kirasaka realized that the only person who could realistically help rescue Yukina Himeragi was Cid.
His strength—enough to instantly eliminate over twenty Therianthropes—was far from the "weak" image Yukina had painted. And since he knew Yukina personally and shared a strong bond with her, he was her only hope.
"Sorry, I refuse. I'm not helping you. Didn't I already help you deal with the Therianthropes chasing you? Helping you again would go against my principles."
Pressing his forehead in mild frustration, Cid thought to himself. He loved this trope—an ordinary passerby suddenly revealing themselves as a mysterious powerhouse to save the female lead, the classic Eminence in Shadow act. But if he let her sway him with a few sweet words, the cool factor of the act would instantly collapse.
"Yukina… Yukina Himeragi's been kidnapped."
Sayaka Kirasaka knew perfectly well how unreasonable and greedy her request was, but the thought of Yukina Himeragi being captured made her decisive. She played the emotional card, hoping to sway Cid into helping through his bond with Yukina.
"Someone else's been kidnapped? Do all the people I know have a knack for getting kidnapped?"
Hearing this, Cid couldn't help but mutter. It really did seem like everyone he knew had some talent for being kidnapped.
"Hmm… Let me ask you—if I refuse to help you rescue Yukina Himeragi, what are you going to do?"
Seeing Sayaka Kirasaka's anxious, pleading face, Cid tilted his head slightly, thinking it over before asking another question.
"Me? I'm going to rescue Yukina."
"Can't you wait until tomorrow?"
"No, if I wait until tomorrow, something bad will definitely happen to Yukina."
"Even if you're about to die right now, you'd still go rescue her?"
"Even if I die, I'll rescue Yukina."
Though puzzled by Cid's line of questioning, Sayaka Kirasaka spoke honestly, revealing her true intention.
With memory deletion no longer an option, and Cid's true identity as the Eminence in Shadow exposed, this became the eighth contingency plan.
Recognizing her sincerity, Cid tossed aside the crowbar he had been hiding. As Sayaka Kirasaka had stressed, she needed to remain fully conscious for her next move, so he couldn't use memory deletion on her.
"Why are you asking all this…"
Ignoring her, Cid leaned against the wall, arms crossed, speaking coldly.
"Let's make a deal…"
"Huh?"
"I just want a peaceful life, so here's the deal: I'll help you rescue Yukina Himeragi, and you help me keep my true power a secret. Seems like a fair trade, doesn't it?"
A setback? Impossible. An Eminence in Shadow always has a backup plan.